One scene in particular proved especially problematic. In the story, the women of the whānau conspire to have the cousins Aroha and Hunapo pledged to each other in an arranged marriage. Aroha’s father Tautaru and Hunapo’s father Maahanga are brothers and sworn enemies. They fell out over a failed gangland business venture when Tautaru shifted all the blame onto Maahanga and had him arrested. The women of the whānau see the friendship between Aroha and Hunapo as their only hope of uniting the family from the senseless feud which is losing them all money. Only Aroha’s mother Ngaio can see that this will end in tears.

The scene has been through many different incarnations and several different cast members, from a verandah scene to a gangland kitchen scene.

In today’s podcast video, Mark and Kristel read the final version as we hone the dialogue prior to shooting.